Likelihood of ‘Power Crisis’ Intensifies in Summer; Power Minister: People Should Manage Their Consumption

Iran’s power minister, while advising Iranians to “conserve” electricity consumption, has stated that if there is not “good conservation” in electricity use, “power outages” are likely.

Ali Akbar Mohrebian, in a conversation with the Tasnim News Agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, regarding “how power outages will occur this summer,” stated that if people “manage” their electricity consumption so that there is good conservation in “the amount of electricity usage,” there is no need for “power outages.”

In recent years, coinciding with prolonged and widespread power cuts in Tehran and various Iranian cities, unconfirmed unofficial reports about “the entry of military and government institutions of the Islamic Republic into the field of cryptocurrency extraction,” particularly “Bitcoin,” have been published in some media outlets and social networks.

Abdolamir Yaqouti, head of the energy management office at Tavanir Company, had stated on the 25th of Farvardin that to “overcome the blackout and power outage crisis” during the 4 hot months of the year, from the 15th of Ordibehesht to the 15th of Shahrivar, “10,000 megawatts” of conservation in consumption is needed.

Mohammad Allahdad, deputy coordination of distribution at Tavanir, on the 29th of Farvardin, on the sidelines of the “strategic headquarters meeting for peak electricity consumption period,” while announcing that “conditions of power supply imbalance exist this year as well and the accumulated imbalance cannot be resolved in a short time,” promised that “power outage scheduling tables” would be released.

The power minister of Ibrahim Raisi’s government, stating that if people have “good conservation” in electricity consumption, “power problems” in this summer will reach “a minimum,” said that power outages depend on the behavior of subscribers.

Ali Akbar Mohrebian, referring to “reduced water inflow to the country’s dams,” also stated that if electricity is not conserved, “power outages are likely.”

Repeated emphasis by Islamic Republic officials on the necessity of electricity “conservation” by subscribers and preparation for “repeated power outages” is occurring while “electricity exports” from Iran to neighboring countries, including Iraq and Afghanistan, continue, and the Islamic Republic has even offered assistance in this field to some other countries.

Hashem Safieddine, head of the executive council of the “Hezbollah” organization, which is a terrorist group supported by the Islamic Republic in Lebanon, had announced on the 7th of Farvardin that the Islamic Republic had offered a proposal to “supply Lebanon’s electricity” with “excellent capabilities” “without Iran asking for anything in return.”

A member of the board of representatives of the Iranian Chamber of Commerce on the 13th of Ordibehesht had stated that “gas cuts and power blackouts” in the winter of 1399 and “repeated blackouts” in 1400 are signs of “endangering energy security” in Iran.

Reza Pedidaar, member of the energy commission of the Iran Chamber, had stated that “reduced investments” in the water and electricity industry “especially after sanctions,” has caused “vulnerability of the process of secure energy supply” in the country.

On the eve of summer 1401 and the possibility of “widespread power outages on the national electricity network,” in addition to Iranian households, concerns have formed among economic activists and business owners that these outages, coinciding with “multiple increases in production costs” compared to before, could “seriously damage” their activities and consumers.

A member of the presidium of the eighth Islamic Consultative Assembly on the 8th of Khordad, announcing that power outages in “production and industrial units” will cause “creating compounded inflation” in society, had told the ISNA news agency: the “power outage procedure” in industries must “be reformed” and “other solutions” for it must be considered.

Hosseinali Hajideligan, referring to “the necessity of planning” for increasing production and preventing power outages, warned about the disruption of various sectors of the entire production and supply system as a result of power cuts “to industries such as steel and cement,” regarding “damage to the entire country’s economy.”

Source: Voice of America